Despite featuring a matchup between two of the MLS’s strongest fanbases (Sporting KC and Portland Timbers), the viewership for this season’s final MLS broadcast on the over-the-air FOX network was largely disappointing. The 348,000 viewers is the worst we have seen on the FOX broadcast network, and as one of only four MLS matches available free-to-air this year, it doesn’t even crack the top 10 for English-language broadcasts. Now that MLS’ slate on the over-the-air FOX network has concluded for this season, the league averaged 498,000 viewers per match on FOX.
Meanwhile, FOX Sports’ coverage of last week’s Copa Libertadores concluded with Atlético Nacional triumphing over Independiente del Valle. The semi-final and final rounds of the competition were available on FOX Sports 2, where they averaged 17,000 viewers over 6 matches. On FOX Deportes, the final 6 games averaged 163,000 viewers. Going all the way back to April and the beginning of the knockout phase of the tournament, FOX Deportes averaged 136,000 viewers over 24 matches. This number jumps massively, although unsurprisingly, to 279,000 viewers when only the 5 matches featuring Mexican clubs are considered.
Liga MX broadcasts across Univision’s networks and NBC Universo averaged 574,600 viewers per match window this weekend, representing a slight increase from last week’s number of 572,500. Closer to home, NASL’s debut on beIN SPORTS en Español attracted more viewers than the English-language broadcast on beIN SPORTS, giving the league a slight bump to its yearly average.
Domestic numbers for the week of 7/25-7/31:
| Competition | Start Time | Team 1 | Team 2 | Network 1 | Network 2 | Net 1 Viewers | Net 2 Viewers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASL | 7:00 PM | Ottawa Fury | Carolina Railhawks | beIN Sports | — | 11,000 | — | 11,000 |
| MLS All Star | 7:30 PM | MLS All-Stars | Arsenal | ESPN | UniMás | 513,000 | 360,000 | 873,000 |
| NASL | 8:00 PM | Miami FC | Indy Eleven | beIN Sports | beIN Español | 4,000 | 5,000 | 9,000 |
| MLS | 2:00 PM | Sporting Kansas City | Portland Timers | FOX | Fox Deportes | 349,000 | 32,000 | 381,000 |
| MLS | 4:00 PM | Seattle Sounders | Los Angeles Galaxy | ESPN | ESPN Deportes | 328,000 | ? | 328,000 |
Foreign Matches on American television:
| Date | Competition | Start Time | Team 1 | Team 2 | Network 1 | Network 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/26/16 | Copa MX | 8:00 PM | Chivas | Chiapas | — | Univision Deportes; 178,000 | 178,000 |
| 7/26/16 | Copa MX | 10:00 PM | Club América | Mineros Zacatecas | — | Univision Deportes; 344,000 | 344,000 |
| 7/27/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 7:35 PM | Real Madrid | Paris Saint Germain | ESPN2; 230,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 230,000 |
| 7/27/16 | Copa Libertadores | 8:45 PM | Atlético Nacional | Independiente del Valle | Fox Sports 2; 16,000 | Fox Deportes; 252,000 | 268,000 |
| 7/27/16 | Copa MX | 9:30 PM | Chivas | Cruz Azul | — | Univision Deportes; 137,000 | 137,000 |
| 7/27/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 9:35 PM | Bayern Munich | AC Milan | ESPN2; 230,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 230,000 |
| 7/27/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 11:40 PM | Liverpool | Chelsea | ESPN; 402,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 402,000 |
| 7/28/16 | Friendly (U23) | 10:00 PM | Mexico | Argentina | — | Univision Deportes; 328,000 | 328,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 1:00 PM | Celtic | Barcelona | ESPN; 503,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 503,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 3:00 PM | Real Madrid | Chelsea | ESPN; 508,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 508,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Liga MX | 6:00 PM | Querétaro | Puebla | — | Univision Deportes; 204,000 | 204,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Liga MX | 8:00 PM | Monterrey | Cruz Azul | Univision; 635,000 | Univision Deportes; 359,000 | 994,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Liga MX | 8:06 PM | Necaxa | Pachuca | — | NBC Universo; 61,000 | 61,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 10:00 PM | Liverpool | AC Milan | ESPN2; 256,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 256,000 |
| 7/30/16 | Liga MX | 10:00 PM | Club América | Tigres | Univision; 743,000 | Univision Deportes; 464,000 | 1,207,000 |
| 7/31/16 | Int’l Champions Cup | 12:00 AM | Paris Saint Germain | Leicester City | ESPN; 204,000 | ESPN Deportes; Not available | 204,000 |
| 7/31/16 | Liga MX | 1:00 PM | Pumas | León | UniMás; Not available | Univision Deportes; 153,000 | 153,000 |
| 7/31/16 | Friendly | 7:00 PM | Arsenal | Chivas | Fox Sports 1; 169,000 | Univision Deportes; 345,000 | 514,000 |
| 7/31/16 | Liga MX | 7:00 PM | Santos Laguna | Monarcas Morelia | — | Univision Deportes; 254,000 | 254,000 |
Year-to-date averages:
Domestic:
| League | Overall | ESPN | FOX | Univision | beIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLS | 314,582 | 362,430 | 289,400 | 288,250 | — |
| NASL | 6,947 | — | — | — | 6,947 |
| MLS (2015) | — | 249,000 | 197,000 | 224,000 | — |
Foreign (2016/17):
| League | Average |
|---|---|
| Liga MX | 581,429 |
| Premier League | 0 |
| Championship | 0 |
| Bundesliga | 0 |
| La Liga | 0 |
| Serie A | 0 |
| Ligue 1 | 0 |
| Eredivisie | 0 |
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